Monday, November 30, 2015

To be honest I am a bit of a trigger bigot and have a thing for Geissele, Timney, CMC, and HiperFire triggers. Other brands I have tried just seem to fall a bit sort from a fit, finish, or feel perspective. With this bias noted, LaRue Tactical sent me a nice little care package with a note asking that I give their MBT-2S trigger a try.

Before I get to the ins and outs of a trigger which surprised me, I have to note the two other cool extras in the box - the LaRue Tactical Beverage Entry Tool Dillo LT205, and the Dillo Dust. We all love it when a serious company has a sense of humor and LaRue Tactical certainly does. Being a Texas company, armadillos are everywhere and regarded both as icons of Texas and also armored destructive home invaders. LaRue has leveraged this little critter as a bit of an iconic marketing logo.

From my understanding, LaRue’s Dillo Dust cooking seasoning is included is all orders above a certain amount. The Dillo Dust is a very nice little marketing shipment add-in which carries over the LaRue brand after you are done shooting and back home grilling burgers, chicken, or whatever else you might have cooking. The seasoning is all purpose and delivers a nice blend of spice, saltiness, and spicy flavor all in one application. In short, the Dillo Dust tastes like a good general purpose Emeril’s Essence gourmet spice blend which is good on everything from meats, to vegetables, to potatoes.

LaRue took the billet milled likeness of these little critters and used them for a beverage opener design. The result is a 100% USA made $10 beverage opener which functions on both twist off and pry open bottles.

FIT, FINISH, FEEL, FEATURES, & FUNCTIONS

The question I began pondering was whether LaRue was getting distracted with all these other products or did they put some much thought into each product that these were the peripheral details which made a good customer experience great. The LaRue MBT trigger would surely deliver the answers.

Unboxing the LaRue Tactical MBT (Meticulously Built Trigger) packaging puts one in the mood for the refinement that is to come as the trigger is un-boxed. Instead of the industry typical poly bag or blister pack which have about as much sex appeal as granny pantyies and mumu dresses, LaRue has opted for a metal tin which you would expect $40 worth of luxury bath salts to be packed in.

The clear top tin is cool and provides a full view of the complete trigger assembly, and will look a bit sexier in dealer’s display cases, among other premium accessories than a premium trigger tossed in a blister pack or poly bag. Let’s face it, it has become a competitive market out there even within the aftermarket trigger industry and LaRue has thought through the marketing details to get buyers attention.

As if the packaging itself did not give you enough indication that LaRue is serious about offering one hell of a trigger, a potential buyer only needs to peer through clear lid to see the immaculate machining of the solid S7 tool steel trigger. As you un-box the trigger you see the precision void of any stray tool marks or burrs with an exceptional finish. It is a beautifully well made trigger which equals the quality seen on Geissele, Timney, CMC, and HiperFire triggers.

The trigger looks good in the box, but once installed the MBT-2S feels pretty awesome with a listed 4.5lb trigger break that feels like a Geissele or Timney. Of note, my MBT-2S actually delivered a 3.5lb trigger pull according to to my Timney trigger pull gauge. I have found that trigger pull is a little harder to measure on 2-stage triggers. I measured a 2lb first stage and 1.5lb second stage. The MBT-2S is a two-stage trigger which installs just as any other mil-spec trigger. Some AR15s will require the selector and grip to be removed as my build did, but its still a simple upgrade.

I installed the LaRue MBT-2S along with a MAGPUL Enhanced AR Magazine Release, Strike Industries ejection port cover, Larue Tactical MBT (Meticulously Built Trigger), and Magpul Extended trigger guard on my Aero Precision DMR build. This Aero Precision build initially featured a AP-COP upper, Geissele SSA-E Trigger, Young Manufacturing match BCG, and White Oak Armament Shilen barrel and Mako furniture. The build has proven to be insanely accurate and has been well used, however it lacked a few of the upgrades I really enjoyed on other more custom builds. The early pre-release Geissele SSA-E Trigger provided for that old review was consistently giving me just over a 4lb trigger pull.

To be totally honest, I loved the Geissele and was just going to try the LaRue MBT-2S as a just a temporary swap for my Geissele SSA-E in my Aero Precision build… but the MBT-2S actually felt better. The trigger brake feel was very similar between the triggers, however the reset felt a little faster and I was happy with the total 3.5lb trigger pull weight. I also liked the feel of the trigger bow on the MBT-2S which is a little flatter than a mil-spec trigger. Geissele has a lot of triggers tuned for different applications, but in this case I liked the LaRue trigger’s feel better.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When it comes to the packaging vs the quality of the MBT-2S, the carpet matches the drapes... so to speak. The LaRue MBT-2S is a premium quality trigger delivered with eye catching marketing. This of course should not be surprising to those familiar with the legacy of premium quality LaRue has delivered in their rifle line and for $199 it is priced to be competitive to all the other match grade trigger options.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Recently Magpul has been back on fire with launching one product after another. One of those neat little parts is the MAGPUL Enhanced AR Magazine Release. The concept is pretty simple - an extended AR15 compatible magazine release that anyone can DIY swap out themselves with the always cool looking Magpul style.

The MAG568 MAGPUL Enhanced AR Magazine Release on a inexpensive $19.95 retail and will likely sell for around $16 on the street. The user simply removes the stock mag release button and screws back in the Magpul release button. Once installed the extended and enhanced magazine release paddle is screwed onto the release button via two machine screws. Event a first time novice AR upgrader should be able to accomplish the upgrades without gunsmithing tools in about five minutes.

I installed the MAGPUL Enhanced AR Magazine Release on my Aero Precision DMR build along with a few other upgrades. The build has been well used, however it lacked some of the upgrades I really enjoyed on other more custom builds. Along with the Magpul Enhanced AR Magazine Release, I added a Strike Industries ejection port cover, Larue Tactical MBT (Meticulously Built Trigger), and Magpul Extended trigger guard.

The MAGPUL Enhanced AR Magazine Release is machined from mil-spec anodized aluminum and provides a larger contact surface for more positive activation of the magazine release. The enlarged magazine release contact patch allows shooters with gloved hands to drop the magazine with a bit more surety and delivers a nice custom touch to any AR platform. A great little part which adds yet another option as we continue customizing all those AR15s we now have tucked into our safe.